Prince hopes to reclaim crown

LONDON – Naseem Hamed, the former world featherweight champion, claims he will make a boxing comeback in 2006, and says he has been offered a six-fight contract by a US television company.

The 31-year-old, who lost only one of his 37 professional contests – to Mexico’s Marco Antonio Barrera in April 2001 – and is estimated to have made as much as 30 million pounds from his boxing career, has not fought since May 2002. “If everything goes right in training, we’re making plans for early to mid next year,” he told BBC radio.”There are no opponents as yet, but we’re talking to TV.Then, hopefully, there’ll be a nice big fight.”I’ve really missed boxing because I’ve been doing it for a hell of a long time and I consider myself not bad at it.But then again, I think boxing has missed me and it’s time to get back.”Hamed, the self-styled ‘Prince’, was widely regarded as one of British boxing’s most exciting fighters.Born in Sheffield to Yemeni parents, Naseem Salim Ali Hamed made his professional debut in 1992 and remained unbeaten until April 2001, when he lost on a unanimous points decision to Barrera.He won the European bantamweight title and the World Boxing Council (WBC) international super-bantamweight championship in 1994, before capturing the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) world featherweight title in September 1995.Hamed became almost as famous for his arrogance and leopard skin shorts as his boxing but he has been out of the ring for three years since being booed during a lacklustre comeback win against Spain’s Manuel Calvo in February 2002.- Nampa-AFP”If everything goes right in training, we’re making plans for early to mid next year,” he told BBC radio.”There are no opponents as yet, but we’re talking to TV.Then, hopefully, there’ll be a nice big fight.”I’ve really missed boxing because I’ve been doing it for a hell of a long time and I consider myself not bad at it.But then again, I think boxing has missed me and it’s time to get back.”Hamed, the self-styled ‘Prince’, was widely regarded as one of British boxing’s most exciting fighters.Born in Sheffield to Yemeni parents, Naseem Salim Ali Hamed made his professional debut in 1992 and remained unbeaten until April 2001, when he lost on a unanimous points decision to Barrera.He won the European bantamweight title and the World Boxing Council (WBC) international super-bantamweight championship in 1994, before capturing the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) world featherweight title in September 1995.Hamed became almost as famous for his arrogance and leopard skin shorts as his boxing but he has been out of the ring for three years since being booed during a lacklustre comeback win against Spain’s Manuel Calvo in February 2002.- Nampa-AFP